Another busy teaching season at Partner Earth Education Center has come to an end. What an amazing year it was in so many respects! We experienced the power of all the elements with fire through a lightening strike and water, air and earth all coming into play through Hurricane Irene. The great mystery of the fifth element with the ever present spirit of the Holy Heart blessed us with the deep expression of love that we shared with the land of Sweetwater Sanctuary and so many beautiful folks during our wedding ceremony this summer. Thanks to everyone who supported us throughout the season by participating in workshops, making donations and lending a helping hand when needed. We want to especially offer our gratitude to Theresa Hoffman for her continuing efforts to help our gardens be productive and beautiful and to Brittany Nickerson for her amazing abilities in nourishing each and every person who comes to Sweetwater through her love-filled cooking. I also would like to express deep appreciation for Lindsey Bagley who served as my teaching assistant during the Plant Spirit Healing Apprenticeship and who continues to support our work here at Sweetwater. Thank you, Theresa, Brittany and Lindsey for your dedication and incredible contributions helping to make 2011 a fantastic year at Partner Earth Education Center. ( see the pictures)

We have many workshops and two apprenticeships coming up for the 2012 season. Be sure to visit our website for a list of the highly acclaimed Plant Communication classes the first of which will be in Glastonbury, England. What a great place to bridge the lines of communication between species where the land holds the mystery and magic of the ages and spirit is alive in all the elements! You might want to make a journey of it and tap into the wonder that is uniquely Glastonbury.

Two Plant Spirit Healing Apprenticeships will be offered next year. The California apprenticeship is filling quickly so call now for your interview with Pam if you are considering this course. TheVermont apprenticeshipis divided into three levels. It is designed this way to accommodate those folks who 1) cannot financially manage all three levels in one year so you can do just one or two at a time 2) want to only do level I or II and not the full apprenticeship 3) have already completed the apprenticeship and want a refresher on Level I or III or 4) want only to learn about medicinal and edible herbs by taking Level II. Please call 802-293-5996 to schedule an interview or if you have any questions concerning the three different levels and what may be appropriate for you at this time.

Through the support of many friends and colleagues Partner Earth Education Center now has the “Be Love” Scholarship Fundwhich is available for worthy and financially needy individuals. This scholarship fund is only for classes held at Sweetwater Sanctuary in Vermont. Please check our website to apply to receive a scholarship. Also be aware that Vermont residents can apply for Vermont Student Assistance Corporation non-degree program grants to cover the cost of tuition and books for our courses. Please call Pam to discuss the application process for this.

I had the great good fortune to be in Santa Fe, New Mexico recently attending a course with Sandra Ingerman on Medicine for the Earth and Healing with Spiritual Light. Much of the information was familiar to me but I was particularly struck, one more time, by the simplicity, beauty and ultimate profundity of the main message. Again, this is not new to us and has been reiterated over the ages but somehow it landed in very fertile ground within my being. The teaching is: “as within, so without”. When we “be” in health, well-being, radiance, love and peace and this is the inner environment we live in our outer environment naturally reflects this. So that when I radiate love and light my inner and outer environments are filled with love and light and everything is effected by this state of being. In this understanding bringing balance or healing to the Earth or another person or an animal is possible because of the radiance I emanate. In this scenario I am not sending light to a particular target – I am being the light myself which then effects my environment.

Because I’m a plant lover I immediately gravitate toward how the plants are involved with the being-ness of love and light. When we look at the ability of plants to process light through photosynthesis we see that they actually are the Masters of Light. Plants are the manifest living reality of taking the light and energy of the sun (main source of light) and turning into the manifest form of tissue/fiber which becomes our food and eventually our tissue. As I deepen in my awareness and understanding of a plant’s ability to receive, process, emanate and bring light into manifest form I learn how to do this within myself. I, of course, am not able to create from sunlight but I do have bio-photons (particles of light) at the nucleus of each of my cells. It’s like I have my own mini light source inside me - “as above, so below”. With the help of plants as my guides I’m learning how to gather these particles of light into a central “sun” located in my heart. The heart is really like an electrical transfer station where all the electricity is gathered from different sources and then is processed or distributed to the outer world where electricity becomes useful in our environment. In this analogy, the light is received from each of my cells and is transferred to a central location, my heart, where, because of the volume of light, I am able to radiate light to affect my outer world. In the outer world the radiant light from my heart perpetuates the life-giving quality of light. When I add the potent ingredient of love to this light the possibilities become exponentially greater than I could ever imagine.

In my morning quiet time I have begun an “Ensparkalation Meditation” (the word ensparkalation was coined by my dear heart Mark). I ask for the presence of certain plant allies to be with me and guide me as I imagine all the particles of light in my cells to be like stars and I journey through the universe of my being gathering all these stars bringing them together in my heart where a very bright sun-like light begins to beam radiantly. I feel the warmth of this and experience how the vibratory rate generates a frequency that creates a humming inside me. As the light grows brighter and the sound louder there comes a point of radiant bliss where the state of “being love” becomes all pervasive. It is here in this environment of radiant love and light that peace, balance and well-being reside. I give thanks to Sandra for reminding me of the power of my own light and love.